1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus such as a video camera or a digital still camera, having a function to correct camera shake.
2. Description of the Related Art
As background arts of the present invention, there are some conventional techniques. As one example of such techniques, there is Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication (JP-A, hereinafter) No. 2002-296633.
The JP-A No. 2002-296633 describes an image pickup apparatus and a method for correcting hand shake which effectively utilize a movable range of a hand shake correcting means, ensure a wider correctable range, enhance correcting accuracy, improve an unstable initial characteristic of a corrosion driving means, and can always obtain an equivalent correcting effect.
The image pickup apparatus is so configured as to include the image blur correcting means, hand shake detecting means for detecting a motion causing the image blur, a driving means for finding a quantity for driving the image blur correcting means based on a detected result of the hand shake detecting means and making the image blur correcting means perform the predetermined operation for correcting the image blur, a correction mode switching means for specifying whether the image blur correction is performed, an instructing means for preparing to pick up the image, and an instructing means for picking up the image. The image blur correcting means has the correction driving means for driving an image pickup element in a perpendicular direction to an optical axis, supplies the correction driving means with the predetermined input in accordance with the operation of the instructing means or instructing means when an image blur correction mode is selected by the correction mode switching means, and places the imaging pickup element close to the center of its moving range.
As another example, JP-A No. H2-231873 describes an technique to correct the blurring of a camera without requiring a memory circuit by using the solid-state image pickup element for which a margin is provided in the number of picture elements in horizontal and vertical direction and deviating the reading start point of an image pickup element only by a vector reverse to the vector of the detected blurring of the camera.
The technique is configured as follows. An object, which is image-formed on the light receiving surface of an imaging device by a leans, is photoelectric-converted and it is taken out as a TV output through a signal processing circuit. On the other hand, a motion detection circuit monitors the blurring of a video signal and the information of the monitor is fed back to a sensor driving pulse generation circuit. The sensor driving pulse generation circuit moves the point of start of the image pick element only by the vector reverse to obtained vector information and corrects the blurring of the camera. Thus, in the TV output, the picture of the same contour as a standard state can be always obtained and the picture having less blurring where the blurring of the camera is corrected can be obtained.